Door operator



Se t. 14, 1965' r H. J. THOMAS 3,206,135

noon OPERATOR Filed Sept. 12, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Sept. 14,1965 H. J. THOMAS 6 I noon OPERATOR Filed Sept. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet2 United States Patent 3,206,186 DOOR OPERATOR Herman J. Thomas,Roseville, Mich, assignor to General Motors vCorpoi-ation, Detroit,Mich, a corporation of Delaware Fiied Sept. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 303,477(Claims. (Cl. 2683) This invention relates to door operators and moreparticularly to vehicle body door operators.

Generally, the door operator of this invention includes a foot pedalmounted on the vehicle body and operatively connected to a door formovement therewith between an inoperative retracted position flush withan interior wall of the body when the door is fully closed and anoperative extended position projecting from the interior wall when thedoor is in an open position. The door operator is particularly adaptedfor use with door hinge assemblies including hold-open means for holdingthe door in open position since the door operator includes means forreleasing the hold-open means upon initial movement of the foot pedal toclose the door so as to free the door for movement to closed position.This facilitates closing of the door in many instances, such as when thevehicle is banked.

One feature of this invention is that it provides a new and improveddoor operator including a foot pedal swingably mounted on the body formovement between an inoperative retracted position flush with aninterior body wall and an operative extended position projecting fromthe interior wall. Another feature of this invention is that the footpedal is normally located in the retracted inoperative position andmeans are provided for moving the pedal from the inoperative to theoperative extended position thereof in response to movement of the doorfrom the closed to the open position thereof. A further feature of thisinvention is that means are provided responsive to initial movement ofthe foot pedal from the operative to the inoperative position thereof torelease door hold-open means to permit unimpeded movement of the doorfrom the open to the closed position thereof. Yet another feature ofthis invention is that means are provided for permitting initialmovement of the foot pedal from the operative position thereof to aposition intermediate the operative and inoperative positions thereofindependently of movement of the vehicle door, thus to release thehold-open means prior to movement of the door, with further movement ofthe foot pedal from the intermediate to the inoperative position thereofmoving the door from the opened to the closed positions thereofindependently of any resistance from the hold-open means.

These and other features and advantages will be readily apparent fromthe following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary partially broken away elevational view of avehicle body including a door operator according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the planeindicated by the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1, showing the door operator in aretracted inoperative position;

FIGURE 3 is a partially broken away sectional view taken generally alongthe plane indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, showing the door operator in anoperative extended position;

FIGURE 5 is a partially broken away sectional view taken generally alongthe plane indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicatedby the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicatedby the line 77 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicatedby the line 88 of FIGURE 7.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, a vehiclebody 10 includes an outer fender panel 12, an intermediate structuralpanel 14, an inner structural panel 16 terminating in an outwardlydirected panel 18 secured to a flange of panel 14, and an inner cowlpanel 20 secured to panel 16 and to an irregularly shaped hinge pillarpanel 22 secured at a terminal flange thereof to a terminal flange ofpanel 18. An inner trim or kick panel 23 forms a decorative interiorWall of body 10.

As seen best in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5, a generally U-shaped hinge box 24includes a pair of spaced legs 26 and 28 having flanges 30 thereofbolted at 34 to panel 22 and to a reinforcing plate 32. A gooseneckhinge arm or strap 36 is pivotally secured to hinge box 24 by a hingepintle 38 extending between legs 26 and 28. Arm 36 includes a mountingflange 40 bolted to a forward jamb face 42 of the vehicle door 44 so asto swingably mount the door on the body for movement about pintle 38between a closed position, FIGURE 2, and a fully open position, FIGURE4.

Door hold-open means are provided in the form of a detent lever 46pivotally mounted at 48 on an oifset extension 59 of leg 28. A tensionspring 52 extends between a flange of hinge box 24 and the free end oflever 46 to bias the lever into engagement with a roller 54 on arm 36during movement of door 44 from the closed to the open position thereof.Either of a pair of cam notches 56a and 56b on lever 46 adapted toembrace roller 54 under the action of spring 52 to provide a two-stagehold-open for releasably holding door 44 against movement toward closedposition. A vertical web 57 of hinge box 24 lies in the path of movementof arm 36 to provide a hinge check preventing movement of door 44 pastfully open position. The hinge box 24, the arm 36, the hinge check 57and the detent lever 46 are more fully described and shown in Griswald,Jr., et al. 3,080,602 issued March 12, 1963.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 5, a foot pedal mounting bracket 58includes spaced upper and lower legs 69 and 62 located respectivelyabove and below hinge box 24 and provided with lateral flanges 64secured by bolts 34 against flanges 30 of the hinge box and to hingepillar 22. The legs 60 and 62 extend forwardly of the body through anaperture 68 in panel 22 and pivotally mount a generally U-shaped insection foot pedal 70. As seen best in FIGURE 7, the upper and lowerlegs of pedal 7 0 are received intermediate portions 66 and pivo allymounted thereon by a pintle 72 secured to legs 60 and 62. The foot pedalextends through an aperture 69 of panel 29 and is movable about pintle72 between a retracted inoperative position, as shown in FIGURE 2, whenthe door is in closed position, and an extended operative position, asshown in FIGURE 4, when the door is in open position wherein the footpedal projects inwardly of the body through an aperture 82 of trim panel23. An 0&- set connecting member 74 is pivotally secured at 76 to thefoot pedal and secured to arm 36 by a pin 78 received within a slot 8%).Member 74 interconnects the door 44 and the foot pedal for movement ofthe pedal between its inoperative retracted position and its operativeextended position upon movement of the door.

When the foot pedal is in the inoperative position, the foot pad 83thereof lies flush with trim panel 23 and closes a portion of aperture82. A cover 84 for closing the remainder of the aperture 32 is pivotallymounted at 88 on a bracket 86 secured to the foot pedal. A torsionspring 92 has the upper and lower ends thereof secured to bracket 86 andan intermediate portion thereof engaging bracket 98 of the cover to biasthe cover 84 counterclockwise about pivot 88. Rollers 100 on therearward edge of the cover engage an oifset edge portion 102 of trimpanel 23 to locate cover 84 flush with the trim panel in the inoperativeposition of the foot pedal, and are adapted to roll along the trim panelunder the action of spring 92 upon movement of the foot pedal to itsoperative position of FIGURE 4.

Assume now that door 44 has been moved to fully open position to movefoot pedal 70 to its operative position of FIGURE 4. To close the door,the operator places his foot on the foot pad 83 of the foot pedal anddepresses the foot pedal to shift connecting member 74 inwardly and pullthe door closed after the edge 81 of slot 80 engages pin 78. In order toobviate the need for extraordinary exertion by the operator to overcomethe hold-open means as well as door inertia, additional means areprovided for releasing detent lever 46 from roller 54 of arm 36 prior tothe engagement of pin 78 with edge 81 of slot 80.

As shown best in FIGURES 4 and 8, a cam extension 104 of detent lever 46includes a cam notch 106 therein adapted to receive a cam roller 108 onthe free end of a cam follower lever 110 which is pivoted at its otherend, FIGURE 7, on pintle 72 intermediate a shoulder on the pintle andthe lower leg 62 of mounting bracket 58. An upstanding pickup tab 112 onlever 110 is located for engagement with a depending pickup tab 114 onthe lower leg of foot pedal 76, and a torsion spring 116 on 'pintle 72has one end thereof hooked over a base wall 118 of the bracket 58 andthe other end thereof bearing against roller 108 to constantly urge thelever 110 counterclockwise so that the pickup tabs 112 and 114 arenormally engaged.

Assuming now that foot pedal 79 is in the operative position wherein camroller 1&8 is located in notch 1416, initial depression of the footpedal causes the engaged tabs 112 and 114 to rotate lever 119 clockwisesuch that roller 108 cams along the edge of notch 1616 and rotates lever46 clockwise against the action of spring 52 to move the lever to areleased position out of engagement with roller 54, shown in brokenlines in FIGURE 8. This sequence occurs prior to the engagement of edge81 of a slot 80 with pin 78 after initial movement of the foot pedal toan intermediate position. Door 44 is thus released for free movement inresponse to further depression of the foot pedal from the intermediateposition thereof. During such movement, cam roller 108 progresses out ofnotch 106 and along a cam surface 123 on extension 1414 until the footpedal reaches the inoperative position, whereupon roller 108 has movedfree of the extension to allow spring 52 to return lever 46 to itsnormal holding position.

When door 44 and foot pedal 79 are again moved to the position of FIGURE4, pickup tabs 112 and 114 disengage to initially free lever 11b forcounterclockwise rotation by spring 116 so that roller 108 engages andcams along an outer cam surface 122 on extension 104 and thencesuccessively along surface 120 into cam notch 106 The described sequenceof operation to release the hold-open and close the door is thus againready to be performed.

Thus a new and improved door operator is provided.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movementbetween open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasablyholding said closure in the open position thereof, the combinationcomprising, operating means mounted on said body for movement betweenoperative and inoperative positions, means conmeeting said operatingmeans and said closure for movement of said operating means from theinoperative to the operative position thereof upon movement of saidclosure from the closed to the open position thereof, and meansconnecting said operating means and said hold-open means to release saidhold-open means upon initial movement of said operating means from theoperative to the inoperative position thereof, subsequent movement ofsaid operating means to the inoperative position thereof moving saidclosure from the open to the closed position thereof, free of resistancefrom said hold-open means.

2. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movementbetween open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasablyholding said closure in the open position thereof, the combinationcomprising, an operating member mounted on said body for movementbetween operative and inoperative positions, means connecting saidoperating member and said closure for movement of said operating memberfrom the inoperative to the operative position thereof upon movement ofsaid closure from the closed to the open position thereof, and means onsaid hold-open means and said operating member operable upon initialmovement of said operating member from the operative to the inoperativeposition thereof to release said hold-open means, subsequent movement ofsaid operating member to the inoperative position thereof moving saidclosure from the open to the closed position thereof free of resistancefrom said holdopen means,

3. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movementbetween open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasablyholding the closure in the open position thereof, the combinationcomprising, a foot pedal mounted on said body for movement between aninoperative retracted position wherein said pedal lies flush with a wallof said body and an operative extended position wherein said pedalprojects from said wall, means connecting said pedal and said closurefor movement of said pedal from the inoperative to the operativeposition thereof upon movement of said closure from the closed to theopen position thereof, cooperative means on said hold-open means andsaid pedal engageable upon movement of said pedal from the operativeposition thereof to a position intermediate said operative andinoperative positions thereof to release said hold-open means, movementof said pedal from the intermediate to the inoperative position thereofmoving said closure from the open to the closed position thereof free ofresistance from said hold-open means.

4. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movementbetween open and closed positions and hold-open means for releasablyholding the closure in the open position thereof, the combinationcomprising, a foot pedal mounted on said body for movement between aninoperative retracted position wherein said pedal lies flush with a wallof said body and an operative extended position wherein said pedalprojects from said wall, means connecting said pedal and said closurefor movement of said pedal from said inoperative to said operativeposition thereof upon movement of said closure from the closed to theopen position thereof, said connecting means including lost motion meanspermitting movement of said pedal from the operative position thereof toa position intermediate said operative and inoperative positions thereofindependently of movement of said closure, and cooperative means on saidhold-open means and said pedal engageable upon said movement of saidpedal from the operative to the intermediate position thereof to releasesaid hold-open means, movement of said pedal from the intermediate tothe inoperative position thereof moving said closure from the open tothe closed position thereof free of resistance from said hold-openmeans.

5. In a vehicle body having a closure mounted thereon for movementbetween open and closed positions and a hold-down member movable betweena holding position to releasably hold said closure in the open positionthereof and a released position permitting movement of said closure, thecombination comprising, a foot pedal mounted on said body for movementbetween operative and inoperative positions, a member connecting saidpedal and said closure for movement of said pedal from the inoperativeto the operative position thereof upon movement of said closure from theclosed to the open position thereof, 10st motion means on said closnreand said connecting member permitting movement of said pedal and saidconnecting member from the operative position thereof to a positionintermediate said operative and inoperative positions thereofindependently of movement of said closure, a cam member movably mountedon said body and engageable With said hold-open member, and means onsaid foot pedal and said eam member engageable upon movement of saidpedal from the operative to the intermediate position thereof to movesaid cam member to engage and cam said hold-open member from the holdingto the released References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS1,157,128 10/15 Sodt 268--3 1,969,767 8/ 34 Steele 2683 2,610,084 9/52Anderson 268-3 X 3,080,602 3/63 Griswald et al 16146 HARRISON R.MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

iwan-aimwswsismsmmmsawasmmmzmu(mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICECERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N00 3,206,186 September 14, 1965 HermanJ n Thomas It is hereby certified that error appears in the abovenumbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patentshould read as corrected below.

Column 2,

line 32, for "lever 46 adapted" read lever 46 line 52, for "and saidclosure" are adapted column 4, read with said closure line 69, for"hold-down read hold-open Signed and sealed this 19th day of April1966.,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. IN A VEHICLE BODY HAVING A CLOSURE MOUNTED THEREON FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS AND HOLD-OPEN MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID CLOSURE IN THE OPEN POSITION THEREOF, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, OPERATING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, MEANS CONNECTING SAID OPERATING MEANS AND SAID CLOSURE FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERAING MEANS FROM THE INOPERATIVE TO THE OPERATIVE PSOITION THEREOF UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID CLOSURE FROM THE CLOSED TO THE OPEN POSITION THEREOF, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID OPERATING MEANS AND SAID HOLD-OPEN MEANS TO RELEASE SAID HOLD-OPEN MEANS UPON INITIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERATING MEANS FROM THE OPERATIVE TO THE INOPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF, SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENT OF SAID OPERATING MEANS TO THE INOPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF MOVING SAID CLOSURE FROM THE OPEN TO THE CLOSED PSOTIOIN THEREOF, FREE OF RESISTANCE FROM SAID HOLD-OPEN MEANS. 